Laurence M. Downes

LAURENCE M. DOWNES, Chairman of the American Gas Association, is
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of New Jersey
Resources (NJR) and its principal subsidiary, New Jersey Natural Gas
(NJNG). Mr. Downes joined NJR in March 1985 and was appointed Senior
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in January 1990. In March
1995, he was elected President and Chief Executive Officer of NJNG and a
member of NJR’s Board of Directors. In July 1995, he was named President
and CEO of NJR. In September 1996, he was named Chairman of NJR’s Board
of Directors. Mr. Downes received a bachelor’s degree in business
administration in June 1979 from Iona College and a master’s degree in
business administration in June 1981. He serves as Director and 2005
Chairman of the American Gas Association, Chairman of Safe Child
Consortium, a private-public partnership for the prevention of child
abuse and neglect in New Jersey, and as a Trustee of the American Gas
Foundation. He is also the 2005 Chairman of the Natural Gas Council. He
is Chairman of the Finance Council of the Diocese of Trenton and a
member of the Board of Trustees of Iona College.